Flights Des Moines → Washington
DSM → DCA
Your rights on this US flight (DOT)
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
US flight refund rules & checker →General information, not legal advice.
The Des Moines (DSM) → Washington (DCA) route is operated by American Airlines. Across 178 flights monitored in recent months, 79% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 20 minutes. The cancellation rate is 5.06%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 10/100 (low), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Washington the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Des Moines the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes.
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines (AA) | 76% | 9 min | 2.4% |
Airlines operating DSM-DCA
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Frequently asked questions about DSM-DCA
On the Des Moines (DSM) -> Washington (DCA) route, on-time performance is 79% with an average delay of 20 minutes, based on 178 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Des Moines-Washington is 5.06% across 178 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 1 airline: American Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Washington, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.